Pregnant Marathoners Don’t Care If You Think They Shouldn’t Be Running

Pregnant-Runner

(Photo: Running Pregnant)

The New York Times has an incredible story up this morning, profiling elite marathoners running through – and after – their pregnancies. Depending on your own beliefs about exercise and pregnancy you’re probably going to fall into two camps: The ‘holy shit this is amazing and inspirational and I should have totally run that 5K when I was knocked up!’ camp or the ‘WTF are they thinking and boy, that kinda looks weird and also painful?!?!’ camp. Take your pick.

Personally, I find these women to be awe-inspiring and relatable, even if I can barely huff out a two mile run while NOT pregnant. According to the Times the balance between having a kid and pursuing a running career is basically nonexistent (sound familiar?) and so they find their own way to do both at the same time.

Elite runners often try to squeeze in a pregnancy and recovery in the 16-month window between world track championships in years with no Summer Olympics. This is one such year, and pregnancies abound.

Maternity leave in professional running is rare. A pregnancy is still frequently treated as if it were an injury, and women can experience a pay cut or not be paid at all if they do not compete for six months. During that period, they often remain bound to sponsors in exclusive contracts that can last upward of six years. Because the athletes are independent contractors, they are not covered by laws that protect employed women in pregnancy.

Marathoners like Paula Radcliffe and Kara Goucher trained through their pregnancies, and returned to racing as soon as their babies popped out. Radcliffe, for example, won the New York City Marathon in 2007 just nine months after giving birth to her daughter. At the time, people gave her a ton of s**t for exercising so intensely while pregnant. Now, thanks to her, the practice is more common-place among pregnant runners. Some, like Olympian Alysia Montaño, even compete while pregnant. Her decision to run an 800-meter race while 8 months pregnant got a lot of people worked up with the rage-ies, because of course. She said of her decision:

”I wanted to help clear up the stigma around women exercising during pregnancy, which baffled me. People sometimes act like being pregnant is a nine-month death sentence, like you should lie in bed all day. I wanted to be an example for women starting a family while continuing a career, whatever that might be. I was still surprised by how many people paid attention.”

 

running-pregnant-on-beach(Photo: RunningPregnant)

Five-time All American Clara Horowitz Peterson, pictured above, also trained through her pregnancies, and landed a spot at the 2012 United States Olympic marathon trials four months after giving birth. To do that she stopped breastfeeding her newborn after five weeks (cue the lactivists!) because “the hormones related to breast-feeding made her feel sluggish.” She detailed her training on her blog, Running Pregnant.

These women are obviously coming into pregnancy in incredible shape, and therefore their ability to stay so physically fit is relative. I had so much back pain in my second pregnancy that a walk around the park was a triumph. But with kid #1 I stayed in my regular yoga class until I was 36-weeks along, and strangers made it known that they thought I was a freak for sticking with my regular exercise routine.

Horowitz Peterson tells a similar story in the Times video piece. “I for sure get a lot of looks,” she says. She goes on to detail running in just a sports bra a day before giving birth to her second kid. A cyclist passed her and commented, “That is not okay.”

But isn’t it? If our bodies can handle it, shouldn’t we be more open to women who choose to exercise while pregnant, despite how weird we think it looks? As someone who was told by a doctor not to run while pregnant (and then did so anyway, until I was about 20 weeks along), I’m encouraged by these women’s attitudes toward taking charge of their own bodies and knowing what’s best for them. Obviously safety is important, and women should consult their doctor or midwife and only do what feels comfortable for them. But it’s ultimately each woman’s decision, and haters gonna hate no matter what you do. In the meantime, I’m gonna go for a (very slow) run.

Similar Posts